As APEC trade ministers meet in Indonesia this week to discuss strengthening regional trade links, Japan will enter another critical phase for joining the talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which involves many members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

During the two-day meeting starting Saturday in Surabaya, the ministers of 21-member APEC, which accounts for nearly half the world's economic output, are scheduled to discuss free-trade schemes to increase economic integration and ways to attain sustainable growth and eliminate protectionism.

But the meeting also provides a chance for ministers of the countries already involved in the U.S.-led TPP to gather in one place, and Japan is aiming to gain their backing to join the rule-making process as early as July.